


Jack and Bitty's Princess

by Bigbrotherisreal



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-04
Updated: 2016-11-04
Packaged: 2018-08-29 02:31:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8472133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bigbrotherisreal/pseuds/Bigbrotherisreal
Summary: Jack and Bitty finally decide down the line to add a child their family. When little Samantha comes into their life, they couldn’t be happier with what she brings to them and she couldn’t be happier with the family she acquires. They’ll never forget those eventful first few days after she was finally theirs and the memories and first traditions of their newly expanded family.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This work was for the Check Please Big Bang. It is also posted on my tumblr wonderlandhockey

Jack and Bitty decided after years of being together and out and married that they both wanted to adopt a child. They had talked about it one day after Jack’s game when Jack mentioned how some of the teammates kids were starting to grow up.  
“It’s just, we’ve been together for a while now and I love you. So much. And I’m sure you already know that. And you’re out now and things have died down and we’re okay now. And I just, I want to start a family with you,” Bitty explained to Jack in a hurry after mentioning adopting a child would be nice. Bitty was worried that Jack might not feel the same way or feel like Bitty was trying to push him into it. He was worried Jack wouldn't agree with him. Instead, Jack smiled and kissed Bitty softly.  
“I’d love to have a family with you, Bits,” Jack said. Bitty smiled at Jack's response.   
"Really?" Bitty asked tears already pooling in his eyes. Jack nodded.   
"Of course," Jack assured him. Bitty gave a small laugh and pulled Jack into another kiss though he was giggling too much by that point for it to last long.

 

And so they began the process of filling out forms and doing interviews and then filling out more forms. Doing all of that while managing an NHL career and a new bakery in downtown Providence got a little stressful for both of them. After stressful days and during long roadies away from each other they would remind themselves and each other that they both wanted it and would make it work. They reminded themselves that in the end it would all be worth it to have a child they would be able to call their own. So they continued with the interviews and the forms and the meetings. They kept it up until finally one day the social worker called them.   
“I think we’ve found the girl for you,” she told them over the phone one day. So they drove a couple hours down to a small town they didn't know on a weekend in the off season to meet the little girl and see if they wanted to continue the process. “She’s napping right now but I can still take you in,” the social worker informed them when they arrived. However, when they walked into the room they saw a little girl with dark hair and blue eyes just a shade off from Jack’s sitting up in bed looking at them with a curious look. The woman said something in Spanish walking over to the small girl. Jack and Bitty stood where they were partially because they were unsure of what to do with themselves and partially because they were mesmerized by the little girl. The small girl responded in perfect Spanish with a soft voice as she played with the ends of her hair bringing Jack and Bitty out of their trance. Her braids were messy, a sign that she had been restless.   
“This is Samantha,” the social worker said picking the girl up. “She’ll be five years old pretty soon.”   
“Hi, Samantha,” Jack said waving at the small girl.   
“Hi,” she said in return. The social worker handed her to Jack and Samantha hesitantly put her arms around Jack.  
“Hi, sweetheart,” Bitty said with a small smile. She gave a small wave in return and then proceeded to hide her face in Jack’s neck. Both Jack’s and Bitty’s hearts melted in that moment.   
“She can be very shy,” the social worker explained. They talked to her for a little while before realizing how tired the little girl was and putting her back down to try and nap. Once they set her down to sleep and went into another room to talk to the social worker. “She was put up for adoption by a young Latina mother who felt she couldn’t properly provide for Samantha. She is English second language but she knows English well enough that there hasn’t been any problems with communication and we don’t expect any problems even in a family that doesn’t know Spanish. Like I said earlier, she'll be five soon and so far she's been pretty healthy. She is a little underweight but not enough to be concerning or cause problems,” the social worker said.   
“Underweight from neglect?” Jack asked.   
“More likely from not having enough food in the house. It happens a lot in these types of situations,” the social worker said. Jack nodded. “I know she's a little bit older than you originally expected but we think she's a good match for you and you for her,” the social worker explained. Jack and Bitty looked at each other knowingly. Jack gave a small smile and nodded in confirmation of what Bitty already knew.   
"We'd love to adopt her," Bitty told the social worker. 

 

And so began another round of paperwork and interviews. They continued to meet with Samantha during the whole process. Soon, she began to recognize them and grow more comfortable with them. They introduced her to Lardo and Shitty. Of course, they had to introduce Shitty as Uncle Poopy which made both him and Samantha laugh every time without fail. Samantha had even begun to call Bitty dad and Jack soon became papa, though with the accent she had from knowing Spanish before English, it become papá or sometimes even a'pá from her upbringing with the family before. Bitty might have cried a little after that meeting. Jack had been thrilled when he discovered that she loved hockey and Samantha was thrilled to learn the Jack played for the Falconers though she had grown up in East L.A. and had followed the Kings for the most part until that point. Jack had immediately given her a jersey the next time he saw her and she began to ask questions about his team to get to know it better. As the season started to grow closer, Samantha began to open up and talk more especially when she talked about Jack’s games. The visits grew more natural and it really began to feel like she was part of the family which made parting each time harder and harder for all of them. Finally, on her fifth birthday, Samantha Bittle Zimmermann went home with Jack and Bitty.   
"Welcome home, princess," Jack said as they walked into the house. Shitty and Lardo had helped Bitty and Jack set up some simple decorations earlier. Bitty had even baked a cake after Jack's insistence that she would like cake better than pie. Samantha looked around the house as Jack set bags her down.   
“Sam!” Shitty exclaimed walking over to greet them. Sam smiled and ran to hug him. Shitty picked her up and brought her to the dining room where they had set things up. Shitty and Samantha had only known each other for a short time but Shitty had quickly become someone that Samantha trusted. Jack came back with his camera and Samantha began to open her presents. They’d all bought her a good number of presents and Samantha seemed to love all of them.  
“Her first day here and she’s already being spoiled,” Shitty mentioned to Jack as he took a picture of her on the floor surrounded by her presents.   
“I know,” he said with a smile. “I had a feeling this would happen if I'm being honest."  
“Better than not being there,” Shitty said. Jack smiled as Shitty placed a hand on his shoulder and moved to help Bitty with the cake. Samantha ran up to him. “Did you like your presents?” Jack asked as he knelt beside her. She smiled and nodded.   
“Thank you for all of them, papá,” she said hugging him. Jack smiled as he hugged her back and realized just how glad he was that she was theirs.   
“Of course,” Jack said rubbing her back. They all sat around for a while talking and eating cake. Sam sat on Bitty’s lap the whole time watching everyone catch up. Every now and then she would ask for another slice or glass of milk or mess with one of her presents. After some time the sugar kicked in and she started moving about the room giggling as she moved from one person’s lap to the next. They kept talking and making plans but Samantha had a hard time paying attention to the conversation as she came down from her sugar high. Eventually, she began to yawn and nod off.   
“You tired, baby?” Bitty asked her at some point. She nodded leaning back against him.   
“We should be heading out anyways,” Lardo said standing. “Oh, but I want to see if she likes the room.” Lardo had painted the room that would be her bedroom when she found out that they were going to be able to adopt her. She’d spoken to the girl about some of her interests and spent a few days sketching and painting it for her. When they turned on the lights, Samantha gasped. The whole room had been painted to look like a forest.   
“You painted this?” Samantha asked Lardo.   
“Just for you, kiddo,” Lardo said.   
“Thank you so much,” Samantha said with a smile. She kept looking at all the detail around the room. Lardo smiled.   
“Anytime, kid,” she said.   
“We should head out. Good night,” Shitty said.   
“I’ll walk you guys out,” Bitty said handing Samantha to Jack.   
“Let’s get ready for bed,” Jack told Samantha.   
“Tell me how she likes the ceiling,” Lardo told Bitty on her way out. By the time Bitty had said goodbye and come back inside, Jack and Samantha were brushing their teeth already having changed for bed. Bitty knew Jack would probably go to sleep at the same time because of early practice the next day. Bitty moved to his and Jack’s room to change to more comfortable clothes as they finished brushing their teeth.   
“Getting ready for bed, already?” Jack asked holding Samantha who was leaning on his shoulder half-asleep.  
“I figure I’ll lay with you even if I don’t go to asleep right away,” Bitty said. “She ready for bed?” Jack nodded.   
“She’s half dreaming already,” Jack told Bitty smiling.   
“It’s been a long day. The Queen of Death and Darkness deserves to be a little tired,” Samantha said defending herself making Jack and Bitty laugh. She was constantly referring to herself as that after Shitty had made a joke one day. They always pretended to chastise her though neither of them actually minded. Jack and Bitty made their way into the next room to put her to bed. They sat next to the bed for a while as Jack braided her hair. They found that she preferred not to have her hair loose when she slept so Jack quickly learned how to do it for her Bitty tried to learn but they never came out as well as when Jack did them.   
“So did the Queen of Death and Darkness enjoy her birthday?” Jack asked. Samantha smiled and nodded as much as she could without ruining Jack’s progress.   
“Oh, my lord, Jack. Don’t encourage her,” Bitty said but he was smiling so Jack knew there was no real meaning behind it. They sat and talk for a while. Samantha thanked them for everything several times. Jack and Bitty finally managed to let her know that their parents were going to come into town for Jack’s game to meet her. Samantha asked if she would be able to watch Jack’s next game and they assured her that they would make sure she would be able to watch all of them now that she was with them. Eventually, she began to yawn again. Jack tucked her in as Bitty moved to the light switch.   
“Ready?” Bitty asked. Samantha nodded and Bitty turned out the lights. Samantha gasped as the lights went out and dots on the ceiling began to glow. Lardo had painted a very accurate night sky onto her ceiling. “You like it?” Bitty asked.   
“Yes,” Samantha assured. Jack kissed her forehead.   
“Good night, baby. We’ll see you in the morning,” Jack said.   
“Good night daddy. Good night a’pá,” she replied.   
“Good night, Sammy,” Bitty said. They left the door open in case she needed them and walked to their room. Bitty sighed as they lay on the bed tangled with each other. “We finally have our baby girl home,” he said happily. Jack kissed his forehead.   
“You gonna tweet about it?” he asked Bitty.   
“Of course I am,” Bitty said pulling out his phone. Almost immediately after Bitty began to look through pictures from earlier, Jack's phone rang. Jack sleepily looked at who was calling and answered.   
"Hey, George,” Jack greeted.   
"Hey, Jack. How'd everything go with Samantha?" Georgia asked. Jack smiled.   
"She's home. We finally have her at home," Jack said happily.   
"Congratulations," Georgia said. "Is there any way we could get a picture from today to post on the Falconers' accounts? We want to welcome her to the family.”  
"I'll have Bitty send you some but if you don't mind, we'd like to make the announcement first," Jack said.   
"Of course. We'll wait for your post. Thanks Jack," Georgia said.   
"See you later," Jack replied before hanging up. "Can you email some of the ones you don't use for ours to Georgia?" Jack asked Bitty.   
"Sure, honey. Which one do you like better?" he asked. Jack smiled and pointed to one.   
"You should use the other one for yours but I definitely want that one on mines," Jack said. Bitty smiled and logged into Jack's account.   
"Caption?" Bitty asked. Jack thought for a moment.   
"Finally brought our princess home," he finally settled on. Bitty smiled. He picked a few other good pictures and emailed the to Georgia. Once he had done that, he posted the picture of Samantha sitting and smiling on Jack’s lap with the caption on Jack's accounts. Then, he logged into his own and posted a picture of Samantha on his lap with Jack next to them. They were all laughing at some joke Shitty had made and Bitty was totally and completely grateful that Lardo had snapped the picture. The caption read "Grateful to have finally brought Samantha Victoria home on her fourth birthday." They stayed online for a while and smiled when they saw the Falconers' post. "We are proud to welcome little Samantha to the Falconers' family" the post read. They ended up using a picture of Samantha in her Falconers' jersey smiling with the cake Bitty made.   
"Time to log off," Jack said kissing Bitty's cheek. "Night, Bits."  
"Good night, Jack," he said setting his phone to charge and turning the lamp off. 

 

When Samantha woke up again, it was still pitch black save for the small lights on her ceiling. The house was nearly silent which she didn’t like. There was no background noise which she had grown accustomed to. Then, she heard the stairs creak. She pulled the blankets up closer to her face as if it would make the creaking stop. However, the creaking continued and gave way to footsteps. Samantha dared to look into the hallway without sitting up and saw a soft light in the hallway. Then, it went dark again. She realized someone was in the bathroom. Samantha relaxed some until the house creaked again. She brought the sheets back up to her face and waited for the light of the bathroom to shine again. When it did, she hesitantly sat up.  
“Daddy?” she asked. The light turned off and she heard footsteps coming to her room.  
“No, baby, it’s papa. What’s wrong?” Jack asked sitting on the bed next to her.  
“I heard a noise,” she admitted. Jack sighed.   
“Yeah, this old house creaks. Your dad insists it doesn’t but it still spooks me sometimes,” Jack said. Samantha was silent. “Want to sleep with me and dad?”   
“Yes, please,” Samantha said in a soft voice.   
“Alright. Grab Monsieur Lapin,” Jack told her. Bitty have given her the old bunny during one of their first meetings and she’d grown almost as attached to it and he once was. Jack stood as she grabbed the toy and placed one hand in his. He held it and gave a reassuring squeeze as they walked back to his and Bitty’s room.   
“Honey, what’s going on?” Bitty asked in a sleepy voice.   
“The house spooked her. I told you it creaked,” Jack said helping Samantha onto the bed next to Bitty. Bitty scoffed.   
“You ok, baby?” Bitty asked her as she lay down. Samantha nodded.  
“I just got a little scared,” she told him. Bitty placed a hand on the small of her back as Jack got back into bed.   
“Well, you’re ok. We’re always gonna make sure you’re ok,” Bitty promised rubbing circles into her back. Samantha nodded and Jack began to play with the stray hairs curling at her forehead. They had found that being tactile with her had helped ease her nerves once she grew more comfortable with them. Soon after, her breathing had evened out again and she was asleep. Eventually, Jack and Bitty fell back asleep in each other’s arms with Samantha in between them. 

 

The next time Samantha woke up, it was getting light out already. Samantha looked up from the bed and realized that it was just her, her dad in bed. She got up with Señor Conejito and moved to the dining room to eat something. The floor was cold against her feet but she didn’t want to go into her room to grab socks. As she walked out, she noticed her papa already in the kitchen.   
“Papá? What are you doing?” she asked moving loose hair from her face. Jack turned around upon hearing her voice.   
“Hey, princess. I’m making myself something for breakfast,” Jack said picking her up. “Did you sleep alright?” he asked. Samantha nodded.   
“Can I have cereal?” she asked.   
“Sure thing,” Jack said placing her on the counter. Jack prepared her a bowl of cereal before continuing to make his protein shake.   
“Are you going to practice?” Samantha asked in between bites.   
“Yup. We’ve got a game tomorrow so we’ve got to go over strategy with the team,” Jack informed her.   
“Then your parents get here?” she asked.   
“Yeah, they get here and settle in for a little bit,” Jack said. Samantha nodded as she continued to eat her cereal. Jack stood next to the counter where she sat. “Do you want to come with me to practice?” he asked after a moment. Samantha thought for a moment.   
“Will I get in trouble if I do?” she asked.   
“No,” Jack said after taking a sip from his protein shake.   
“Will you get in trouble?” she asked.   
“I promise no one will get in trouble if you come to my practice,” Jack assured with a small smile.   
“Ok, then I’ll go,” Samantha said smiling.   
“Finish your cereal so you can go get ready,” Jack told her. They sat together eating in comfortable silence before Samantha put her bowl in the sink before trying to crawl down the counter. “You can ask for help you know,” Jack chirped as he set her on the floor. “Go get dressed,” he told her. She nodded and went to her room still holding the worn bunny in her hand. Jack smiled and moved to his room to change for practice. He wasn’t surprised to see that Bitty was still asleep. He changed and found a sticky tab to write a note and left it on Bitty’s cheek so he would be able to find it right away. Then, he went to Samantha’s room to check on her.   
“Ready?” he asked her. She nodded as she pulled a beanie on. “Let’s head out,” he told her. Samantha practically ran outside in the brisk morning air to Jack’s truck. Jack had gotten his truck lifted soon after he first bought it. Bitty hated it because it was so tall and he always had a hard time getting in. God forbid Jack ever make Bitty drive the damn thing. Samantha, however, loved the truck. Jack was quite smug for some time when he discovered this. Of course, it was also quite funny that despite being so much shorter than Bitty and obviously having less strength, Samantha always climbed into the truck faster than Bitty without help somehow. So when Jack opened the door and reached down to help Samantha in, it was no surprise that before he could even help her up, she managed to get in the car by herself before smiling at him as she sat in her car seat. Jack chuckled and buckled her in. The drive to the rink was quiet save for a few questions Samantha asked along the way. Samantha held Jack’s hand as they walked to the locker room making sure to keep close to him, standing almost behind him at some points. However, instead of going to the locker room, Jack brought Samantha straight to the ice where the coaches were already talking.   
“Zimmermann, you’ve got a little shadow today?” one of them asked. Jack smiled and picked Samantha up.   
“This is Samantha. I figured I’d introduce her to everyone today,” Jack told them. Samantha waved at them.   
“Well, she can hang out with us. I doubt you want to bring her into the locker room while the guys are changing,” the coach told him.   
“You gonna be cool?” Jack asked Samantha. Sam nodded and slipped out off his arms before walking to the coaches.   
“Are you guys talking about strategy?” Samantha asked them. Jack gave a small laugh realizing she’d be ok and went to go change into his gear.   
Practice ran very smoothly that day. Samantha got along well with everybody. She had stayed in the arms of the coaches the whole time. Every now and then Jack would make a face at her and she would laugh and make one back. She’d even grown on the coaches so much they let her help with setting up some of the drills. The team adored her and many lingered after practice to talk to her. Jack changed quickly and went back out to where Samantha was. She was currently sitting on the wall in front of the player’s bench excitedly explaining something to the team and they looked genuinely intrigued. Jack came to stand beside her. Upon listening for a few moments, Jack smiled when he realized she was explaining some comic book story to them.   
“Your kid probably knows more about comics already than I will ever know,” one of his teammates said to him. Jack smiled. Samantha loved comics. Jack was almost positive it was the reason why she insisted on learning to read even if she still didn't fully know English. Jack knew that even Shitty had begun to help her learn.   
“Yeah, she loves comic books. Always makes me read her the parts she can’t read herself,” Jack told him. Jack moved to stand behind Samantha and she used him as support to stand up on the wall. “What are you telling them about?” Jacked asked wrapping an arm around her legs to support her.   
“Papá, they didn’t know there’s three Captain Americas,” Samantha exclaimed like it was the greatest crime someone could commit. Jack shook his head hiding a smile.   
“Shame on them,” Jack told her. Samantha looked back at the team and continued to explain everything to them. He let her talk for a while before speaking up. “I know you can talk about Captain America for days but we have to get going princess,” Jack told her. Samantha sighed and nodded. It was on their way out that they ran into Tater.   
"Zimboni. You have small Zimboni today," Tater said in a booming voice. Jack nodded with a small smile.  
"This is Samantha," Jack said. Samantha waved hesitantly.   
"Hello Samantha. I'm Alexei. They call me Tater. Sorry my English not very good," Tater told her. Samantha perked up.  
"My English isn't good, too," she said excitedly.   
"Really?" Tater said smiling.  
"I speak Spanish," she informed him with a nod.   
"I speak Russian," Tater told her.   
"That's cool," she said.  
"We be English teammates. We learn together," Tater told her.   
"Ok cool," Samantha said.   
"But not right now because Samantha has to take a nap," Jack interrupted.   
"Lucky you. I see you at game tomorrow," Tater said.  
They said goodbyes and walked out to leave.   
“Your team is nice, papá,” Samantha said as he was buckling her car seat.   
“Yeah, they are,” Jack said with a small smile. 

 

When they arrived back home, Bitty was in the kitchen baking. Samantha ran into the kitchen.   
“Hi, daddy. I went to practice with papá today,” she announced hugging Bitty’s legs.   
“I know. He gave me a note,” Bitty said giving Jack a look. Jack smiled innocently.   
“I’m gonna shower so I can be ready to go by the time they get here,” Jack said helping Samantha up on the counter next to where Bitty was rolling out dough. He gave Bitty and quick kiss on the check before the leaving the room.   
“What are you making?” Samantha asked.   
“A pie for your grandparents that are coming tomorrow. Do you want a snack?” Bitty asked her. She nodded pulling a sweet bread out of the bag on the counter.   
“You know, one day you should learn to make some kind of pan dulce,” Samantha said after a few bites of her concha.   
“Is that what that bread is called?” Bitty asked. There was still a slight cultural barrier between them but they always did their best to figure things out and try to incorporate Samantha's culture into their lives. Sometimes it was harder than others since Samantha couldn’t always explain herself very well in English but they got it most of the time.   
“Well, there’s different kinds of pan dulce. There’s conchas like this one and pan de anis and pan de muerto but that’s mainly for día de los muertos and churros and cuernos and all kinds of others,” she listed. Bitty looked at her with raised eyebrows.   
“So it’s not just one type of dessert?” Bitty asked. Samantha shook her head. “Well, if you can find me a recipe I’ll be sure to try one for you,” he informed her with a small smile. Samantha nodded and gave him a thumbs up. They continued to bake and talk until Jack came out with wet hair and fresh clothes.  
"How’s the pie going,” Jack asked wrapping his arms around Bitty from behind.   
“Do you really need to ask?” Bitty asked. Jack smiled and kissed his cheek.   
“You should go get ready. Samantha and I will watch the pie,” Jack promised. Bitty nodded.   
“Don’t you dare let my pie burn,” Bitty warned them before walking out to change.   
“So I know you’ve only been here a day now, but do you still like us now that you’re living with us?” Jack asked. Samantha smiled that contagious smile of hers.  
“Yes. I like living with you and daddy now,” Samantha said. Jack smiled.   
“Really?” he asked.   
“Yes because now I don’t have to wonder if you’re gonna visit me tomorrow,” she told him making his heart melt. Jack moved to stand next to where she sat.   
“All the meetings and paperwork are over now. Daddy and I get to keep you forever now,” Jack told her.   
“Good. I don’t want anyone else to be my dads,” she told him smiling. Jack felt his heart melt at that. At first, they weren’t sure how Samantha would adapt to them but she had taken everything fairly easily once she saw how much Jack and Bitty cared about her.   
Jack took the pie out of the oven as Bitty came out freshly changed.   
“Why is she not napping?” Bitty asked.  
"Because she was helping me watch the pie," Jack supplied.   
"Well, that's very kind of you to do Miss Samantha but it's time for you to nap now," Bitty informed her.   
"Come on. You can nap while I watch tape," Jack said picking her up off the counter. He gave Bitty a quick kiss before walking out of the kitchen. "Let me know when my parents land," he called as he left the room. Jack plopped Samantha on the bed before moving to grab his laptop. By the time Jack had turned around to sit on the bed, Samantha had wrapped herself in a large blanket that was usually at the foot of their bed for night when Bitty got cold.   
"I like this blanket," was the only explanation Samantha provided.   
"Ok," Jack said with a small laugh as he settled himself on the bed. Samantha moved to lie next to him blanket and all. Jack wrapped an arm around her as he began to watch the videos. He could tell Samantha was having trouble winding down by the way she fidgeted under his arm and constantly adjusted the blanket around her. He began to softly run his hand up and down her back.   
"What do you think of their defense," Jack asked in a gentle tone hoping to calm her down enough to take even a ten minute nap before his parents arrived.   
"They always leave a hole on the left side," Samantha said in a soft voice. Jack paused the video and allowed her to point out where the hole was. "If you can put a man there you might set up a goal," she said. Jack smiled to himself and kissed her forehead.   
"You're a pretty smart girl, you know," Jack told her.   
"I don't even speak English right," Samantha argued.   
"Maybe not but we can help you get better at that. Not a lot of people can learn to notice things like holes in a defensive line. Plus you already know two languages when a lot of people my age only know one," Jack pointed out to her. Samantha shrugged. Jack rubbed her back. "There's more than one way to be smart, princess. It's not all book smarts and it doesn't have to all be book smarts," he said as he started the video again. Samantha kept pointing out little things on the videos. After a long period of silence from Samantha, Jack looked down and, sure enough, Samantha had fallen asleep curled up next to him. Jack smiled as he turned back to finish watching the videos. He had just finished the videos and was shutting off his laptop when Bitty peeked into the room. Bitty smiled upon seeing the scene in front of him.   
"Your parents just got their rental and they're heading down," Bitty informed him. Jack nodded. "How long has she been asleep?"   
"She fell asleep in the middle of the first or second video so she's had a good nap," Jack said with a small smile. "I almost feel bad waking her up."  
"Just wait for your parents to get here. Give her a little longer," Bitty said sitting on the bed.   
"I think she's taken over your blanket" Jack joked. Bitty gave a small laugh.   
"I'll have to take it back, then," Bitty said making Jack smile and shake his head.  
"So possessive," Jack chastised. "I'll just buy you another one."  
"So charming," Bitty said sarcastically. After a moment of silence between them, the doorbell rang.   
"I'll get it. Start waking her up," Bitty said before giving Jack a quick kiss. Jack sighed as Bitty left the room.  
"Samantha," Jack said softly shaking Samantha. She made a small noise and curled closer into him. Jack gave a small laugh at her reaction. "You've gotta wake up or else you won't sleep tonight."   
"No. No quiero. Quiero dormir," Samantha muttered.   
"English baby," Jack reminded her.   
"No quiero," Samantha repeated moving to hide her face in Jack's neck.   
"I'll let you drink soda if you speak English," Jack tried.   
"Promise?" Samantha asked still not moving her face to look at Jack.  
"Promise," Jack said sitting up with her in his arms.  
"I guess," she said pulling the blanket closer around her.   
"You want to keep the blanket?" Jack asked. Samantha nodded. Jack could her chattering outside the room. "I think that's our queue to go out," Jack said getting up careful to not move the blanket from around Samantha. Samantha rested her head on his shoulder and Jack kissed her forehead as they walked out. "Are we late?" Jack asked as he walked into the living room and saw everyone sitting on the couches. Almost immediately after Alicia saw Jack walk in she was up on her feet to greet Jack. Bob wasn't too far behind her.  
"How was your flight?" Jack asked hugging them carefully so not to jostle Samantha too much. Alicia shrugged.  
"As good as flights can be," Bob told him.   
"And who is this little bundle," Alicia asked. Jack carefully moved Samantha on his shoulder.   
"This is Samantha. She just woke up from a nap so she's still a little out of it," Jack told them.   
"Well, hello there," Alicia said. Samantha sat up in Jack's arms still holding the blanket around her.   
"Hi," she said in a soft voice.   
"Is that my blanket?" Bitty asked.  
"It's mine now," she informed him with a mischievous smile. Bitty laughed.  
"Well, at least you said it in English," Bitty told her. "Normally, it's Spanish or nothing until she fully wakes up," Bitty informed Bob and Alicia.   
"Oh, she's bilingual?" Bob asked.  
"What's bilingual?" Samantha asked.  
"You," Jack said with a smile.   
"No, I'm Samantha," she said confused. Jack laughed  
"It means you speak two languages," Bitty explained.  
"I'm not good at English," Samantha said shyly.  
"You speak it better than some people who only know English. Trust me," Bob said. Samantha gave a small smile. They all sat back down and started idle chatter.   
"Can I have pan dulce?" Samantha asked.   
"If you drink milk with it," Jack told her.   
"Can I have my soda instead?" Samantha asked.   
"Nope," Jack said. "You can have it without your bread or for dinner."  
"I guess I'll drink milk," Samantha said getting up, blanket trailing like a small cloak behind her. Jack gave a small laugh as he got up to help her.  
"Do you want anything?" he asked the room.   
"Actually, a bread and milk sounds great right now," Bitty told him. Jack nodded and went to the kitchen to make sure Samantha wasn't wreaking havoc trying to get the bread and milk herself as she so often tried to do.   
"What kind of bread is she talking about?" Alicia asked curiously.   
"In English it translates to sweet bread. I think it's supposed to be for breakfast but she doesn't really care for proper mealtimes," Bitty explained.   
"It's always proper concha time," Samantha said running in the room with the bag of breads in her hand. She handed Bitty one as Jack came back into the room with glasses of milk. Samantha over to sit back on the couch with the bag of conchas now hidden within the folds of her blanket.   
"What is that?" Bob asked her curiously.   
"This part is bread and this part is kinda like," Samantha said trying to come up with the word to describe it. She sighed when she couldn't.  
"You're ok. What is it in Spanish?" Jack asked.  
"It's galleta but it's not the same kind of galleta as the ones dad makes. It's like this fat and crumby galleta," she explained.   
"That's what on top?" Bitty asked around a mouthful of bread. Samantha nodded. He hummed in understanding as he examined the bread.  
"Do you want to try?" Samantha asked Alicia and Bob holding out the bag. "The color on top means different flavors." Alicia examined the bag before pulling one out.  
"What flavor is this?" Alicia asked.   
"Pink is fresa," Samantha said.  
"And fresa is strawberries, right?" Jack prompted. Samantha nodded. Alicia took a tentative bite before nodding.   
"This is actually pretty good," Alicia said offering Bob a bite. Bob took a bite humming in agreement. Bob reached into the bag and pulled out his own bread.   
"Have you guys checked into the hotel, yet?" Bitty asked. Despite much insistence, Alicia and Bob had decided to stay in a hotel closer to downtown.   
"We will in a bit. Just let me finish this," Alicia said reaching over to grab another bread. Jack laughed.   
"You've got them addicted now," Jack told Samantha.   
"Good. I'll take over the world with my bread," she said with a toothy grin.   
"That's the spirit," Bob said smiling.   
"I'm almost sure that's not the spirit y'all should be encouraging," Bitty said with a small laugh.  
"It's fine. Global domination is a great goal to have," Jack said. Bitty shook his head as Samantha giggled. Bob stood up.  
"We should probably check in at the hotel before it gets too late," he said.   
"He's right. But is it ok we stop by after the game tomorrow?" Alicia asked. Jack nodded.   
"That's fine. We'll see you tomorrow then," Jack said standing to hug his parents  
"We'll see you tomorrow," Alicia said. They said their goodbyes and then Alicia and Bob were off to their hotel in the city.   
"Looks like everyone is going to spoil you," Bitty told Samantha.   
"Looks like it," Jack said with a smile. They spent dinner finalizing plans. Samantha was excited for Jack's game as she usually was. After dinner, Samantha curled up next to Jack on the couch watching some documentary on World War II. Bitty shook his head at the sight.   
"It's getting pretty late," Bitty told them.  
"That's right. You need to get ready for bed, young lady," Jack told Samantha. She shrugged.   
"I mean I guess," she said moving to get off the couch. Jack smiled.  
"Yes, you do," he said picking her up into his arms. Samantha giggled as Jack carried her over to her room. "Your hair is still a mess from that nap. I guess it was a good one," Jack told her.   
"Can you braid it again?" Samantha asked.  
"Sure," Jack said sitting her on his lap on her bed.   
"I get to watch your game tomorrow?" Samantha asked.   
"Yes, of course you do," Jack told her.  
"Am I watching it at home are at the arena?" she asked.   
"No, you can go with dad to the arena this time," Jack said.  
"The same one from this morning?"  
"No, that was the practice arena. Tomorrow you'll get to go to the game arena," Jack said finishing up her braids.  
"The game arena," she repeated to herself. "I can't stay with you? I have to stay with dad?" she asked.   
"It's too dangerous for you to stay on the bench, princess. What if a puck comes flying at your face and you don't have a helmet," Jack said poking her forehead. Samantha giggled and swatted his hand away.   
"Papá, stop," she said.   
"Or what if someone comes off the ice and doesn't see you and sits on you," Jack said enveloping her in a tight embrace causing her to erupt in laughter. "Or what if someone gets checked and falls into the boards and falls on you."  
"Ok, a’pá. I get it," she told him.  
"We just want you safe, baby. If it was safe enough that I could have you pointing out holes in the defense to me during the game I'd love to have you on the bench with me but it's not safe," he told her.  
"I know, papá," she said.  
"I love you, princess," Jack said kissing her forehead.   
"I love you, too, papá," Samantha said looking up at Jack.   
"Really," Jack said smiling.  
"Really, really," Samantha told him.   
"Like, how much?" he asked.  
"As much as I love all the Captain Americas combined times all the numbers in the world times infinity," she said.   
"Wow, that's a lot," Jack said. Samantha nodded.   
"Te amo por siempre," she told him.   
"Je t'aime," Jack told her. She smiled and hugged Jack.   
"Are you ready for bed," Bitty asked poking his head into the room.   
"I have to brush my teeth," she said jumping off the bed.   
"Careful," Jack warned as she ran out of the room. Bitty smiled and shook his head.   
"We have an adventurous little one apparently," he told Jack. Jack smiled and bent down to kiss Bitty.   
"It would appear so," he told Bitty with a smile. Then, he heard the water run.   
"How did she turn the tap on?" Bitty asked moving to go into the bathroom. Sure enough, Samantha had climbed onto the counter and turned on the faucet from there. "How do climb up everything so easily?" Bitty asked squeezing her sides. Samantha gave a small yelp.  
"I don't know. I just do," she told him.  
"Oh, really?" Bitty asked with an eyebrow raised. Samantha nodded seriously. Bitty smiled. 

 

Samantha ended up getting spooked by the house again that night and carefully walked to Jack and Bitty’s room. Jack simply helped her into the bed between them reminding her that she was safe. She slept through the rest of the night and well into the next morning. When Bitty finally managed to wake her up, she trudged into the living room dragging the blanket out though it bigger than herself and planted down on the couch with it. Jack sat with her in his lap and watched cartoons with her until Bitty finished making breakfast. When Bitty finished making pancakes, Jack carried Samantha over to the table blanket and all.   
“Are you excited to watch papa play?” Bitty asked breaking the silence. Samantha nodded silently. She usually wasn’t very talkative in the mornings but they could tell something was different about this morning.  
“Are you excited to meet your other grandparents?” Jack asked. Samantha shrugged. “You nervous?” Jack followed up. She nodded.   
“You don’t have to be. They love you already,” Bitty assured her. Samantha looked up. "Your other grandparents did, right? So do these. Nothing's going to change that. Ok?"  
“Ok,” Samantha said with a small smile. Jack smiled and kiss the top of her head as he moved to wash his plate.  
“Are you leaving already?” Bitty asked moving to look at Jack in the kitchen.   
“I just want to start getting ready. I won’t leave for a little while,” Jack assured him. The game wasn’t until later that evening but Jack still liked arriving early.  
“I’ll make you a sandwich then,” Bitty said walking into the kitchen and giving Jack a quick kiss.   
“You need to get that syrup off your face,” Jack teased walking back to Samantha. She giggled as Jack kissed her forehead. “Let’s get you clean,” Jack said picking her up and walking her off to the bathroom to wash her face. Bitty smiled as he watched them wondering how he got so lucky. As they walked out of view, he turned back to the task at hand. He was wrapping up the sandwich and writing a note as per tradition when his phone buzzed.   
“Hi, mama,” he answered putting his phone between his ear and shoulder.   
"Hi Dicky. How's everything going?" his mother asked on the other line.   
"Good. Things are real good mama," Bitty said hearing Jack and Samantha laughing.   
"That's good. I'm so excited to meet my granddaughter! Your daddy is excited, too. You wouldn't believe the presents he brought her," Suzanne said.   
"Oh, mama, y'all didn't have to get her presents," Bitty said.   
"Of course we did. That's our first granddaughter. It's our job to spoil her. We might have to pay extra baggage but oh well," she told him. Bitty laughed.   
"Are y'all at the airport already?" Bitty asked.   
"Yeah, just waiting to start the boarding process. Are you sure you want to pick us up? We 

 

 

 

can rent a car, honey, it's no big deal," Suzanne said.   
"No, mama. I'm perfectly ok with picking you and Coach from the airport before the game. I have enough time to bring you here and get you settled before we have to leave for the game," Bitty assured her for what felt like the thousandth time since the trip had been planned.   
"If you say so, Dicky. Looks like they're about to start boarding. I'll call you when we land to see where you are," Suzanne said.   
"I'll see you soon mama," Bitty said before hanging up and putting his phone on the counter. He heard footsteps running towards him and smiled as Samantha wrapped her arms around his legs from behind him.   
"Well, hello Ms. Samantha. Did you get the syrup off your face," Bitty said trying to look behind him at where she had decided to cling on.   
"Yes, sir," Samantha said moving to stand by the drawers next to Bitty. Bitty noticed her braids had been redone and was grateful Jack had thought ahead. Bitty tried his best to braid but he always ended up missing something and messing it up.   
"Well, isn't that good news. It'd sure be a shame if I wasn't able to kiss you anymore," Bitty said picking her up and kissing her on the cheek several times. Samantha giggled and tried to squirm out of his hold to no avail.   
"Daddy, you gotta put me down," she insisted trying to push his face away.   
"Is that so?" Bitty asked. Samantha nodded.   
"Or else I won't get to hug a’pá goodbye," she informed him.   
"Ah, well in that case," Bitty said setting her down on the floor. Jack came in a few seconds later and Bitty was putting the sandwich in the bag Jack brought to the rink. Bitty turned around and handed it to Jack saying, "Play hard. You've got this." Jack smiled and gave Bitty a quick kiss before leaning down to pick up Samantha.   
"How many goals should I score?" Jack asked. Samantha thought for a moment before speaking.   
"A million," she said with a wild grin. Jack laughed.   
"I don't think there's enough time in regulation for that many goals, mon coeur," Jack said.   
"Then I guess one or two is fine," Samantha corrected with a shrug. Jack smiled.   
"One or two goals it is," he promised. Samantha wrapped her arms around Jack tighter and placed her head on his shoulder.   
"Promise to remember the hole in the line?" she asked quietly.   
"Promise," Jack assured her before kissing her forehead. Bitty couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of him.   
"I'll see you after the game," Jack said putting her back on her feet.   
"Bye, papá," Samantha said with a small wave. Jack kissed Bitty one last time before leaving.   
"You, young lady, need to get ready to go out," Bitty informed her. Samantha groaned. "Come on. You can't just wear that blanket and pajamas all day," Bitty told her with a laugh.  
"I can try," she said walking out of the room with the blanket trailing behind her.   
"Not today," Bitty said following after. Bitty quickly helped Samantha get ready and decked out in Falconers gear before setting up cartoons for her to watch while he got ready. At first, Bitty took his time getting ready but one glance at the time caused him to speed up to make sure he could get to the airport on time. Somehow, Samantha managed to get herself all wrapped up in the blanket again in the short time it took Bitty to get ready. "Do you want a snack for the road?" Bitty asked.   
"Can I have pan dulce?" Samantha asked unwinding the blanket from around her.  
"Go grab one from the bag in the kitchen. Come on," Bitty said picking her up off the couch. Samantha quickly ran to grab the sweet before joining Bitty at the door. The drive to the airport was uneventful. Samantha was quiet as she contentedly ate her bread. After a short wait, Coach and Suzanne came out of the airport with their bags. Bitty quickly helped them load their bags into the trunk before they were driving back home.   
"Well, hello there," Suzanne said as they drove off. She had opted to sit in the back of the car and Bitty was almost positive she had taken the back to see Samantha before Coach could. Bitty smiled as he quickly looked in the mirror at them.   
"Mama, that's Samantha. Samantha, that's your grandma," Bitty said.  
"Hi," Samantha said is a soft voice.   
"It's nice to finally meet you," Suzanne said smiling.   
"Do I not get and introduction?" Coach asked turning around to look at Samantha.   
"That's your grandpa," Bitty said shaking his head.   
"You can call me Coach. That way I don't feel so old," Coach told her with a wink. Samantha smiled.   
"You're not old, Coach," Bitty said rolling his eyes.   
"Well, I've got a grandkid now. I'm allowed to feel old," Coach said turning back in his seat. They made small talk for most of the drive back to the house.   
"Daddy, can I have chicle?" Samantha asked during a pause in the conversation. Bitty had to think for a moment before remembering what the Spanish word meant. Samantha spoke English but there were still several words she couldn't figure out how to translate. Jack and Bitty had quickly learned what some of them meant.  
"Yeah, just give me a second," Bitty said reaching into the center console to hand her a piece of gum. She was silent for the rest of the ride despite the storm Bitty and Suzanne were talking up. When they got down from the car, Samantha took one of the smaller bags and carried in inside the house with her.   
"There's pie in the kitchen if y'all want," Bitty said as they walked into the house.   
"Where do I put this?" Samantha asked Bitty struggling to drag the bag across the living room carpet.   
"Just leave it there, baby. We'll get it later?" Bitty told her. Samantha placed the bag down and sat back down on the couch where the blanket had been abandoned this morning.   
"No," BItty said when she started to wrap herself back in the blanket.  
"Oh, let her be, Junior," Coach said upon seeing her pout. He sat down with his pie next to Samantha.   
"Yeah," Samantha said as she moved closer to Coach and continued wrapping the blanket around herself again.   
"Oh lord. Why do you even like that blanket?" Bitty asked curiously. Samantha's shrug was barely visible because of how the blanket was draped around her small body.   
"It's heavy," she finally said. "Like those blankets with tigres y leones," she elaborated.   
"Oh, I know which ones you're talking about," Coach told her after a moment. Bitty gave him a confused look. "Some of the boys bring them for colder events. They're real nice for when the breeze comes in. I'll try to find her one," Coach promised.   
"Really?" Samantha asked excitedly. Coach nodded.   
"I'll ask around for them," he told her.   
"Thank you," Samantha said softly. Coach winked at her making her giggle.   
"Speaking of, we have some presents for your birthday," Suzanne said moving off the couch. Coach got up and followed her.  
"Oh, ok," Samantha said sitting up curiously. Suzanne came in with Coach trailing behind her. He carefully put the suitcase he was holding in front of Samantha. "Ooh a malleta," she said with a small smile. Coach laughed.   
"No, the present is inside," Suzanne told her.   
"Oh," she said sliding off the couch and sitting cross-legged on the floor next to the suitcase. Coach helped her open it up and she gasped when she saw that the suitcase contained comics. "Dios mío. How many comics are in here?" she asked excitedly. Coach shrugged.   
"These are from when I was a kid. Some of them were mine and some of them were my dad's. Your dad never really liked that kind of stuff but I saved it just in case. I don't read them anymore but I thought maybe you'd like them," Coach told her. Samantha hugged him.   
"Thank you," she said softly. Coach smiled and hugged her back.   
"You won't have to go to the comic book store for a long time now," Bitty told her.   
"I know," she said in a happy voice looking through some of the comics.  
"We should head to the arena soon. Try to avoid traffic," Bitty said. Suzanne nodded.   
"Whenever you guys want," Suzanne told Bitty.   
"Are y'all hungry? Should we pick up something on the way?" Bitty asked.   
"I'm fine with just snacking at the arena," Suzanne said. Coach nodded in agreement.   
"Ok so we don't have to worry about that," Bitty said.   
"You owe me a soda," Samantha reminded him.   
"Do I really?" Bitty asked. Samantha nodded. "I guess I'll let it slide tonight," he told her.   
They left for the arena a few minutes later. Alicia and Bob were already seated by the time they arrived and bought snacks and such. Samantha was nervous around the other Falconer family members but all her nerves were quickly forgotten when she saw Jack step on the ice for warm ups. With the added sugar from the soda, she was practically bouncing through the whole game. She cheered throughout the whole game and Bitty was worried she would lose her voice. Samantha was smiling and talking to Bitty excitedly about the game in between periods. Bitty could tell she was feeding off the vibe of the arena in a way that watching from a TV could never replicate. Bitty realized he would never be able to convince her to stay home for the late games later on in the season now that she had seen a game live in the arena. The Falconers won the game and Jack managed to get a hat trick. After each goal, Jack would blow Samantha and Bitty a kiss.   
"Can we go see papá?" Samantha asked once the people in the arena were streaming out.   
"I don't know. He might be tired," Bitty joked. Samantha's face fell and she looked down.   
"Oh, ok," she said softly.   
"Oh, baby I was just kidding. I'm sure he'd love to see you," Bitty said picking her up.   
"That wasn't nice," Samantha said with a pout.   
"I'm sorry. Come on, let's go try to see him," Bitty said starting to walk. Alicia and Bob had left before them so it wasn't a surprise to see them already talking to Jack when they got there. Jack quickly turned his attention from his parents to Samantha who was now on the floor running towards him.   
"Hey princess," Jack said picking her up.  
"Papá, you scored 3 goals!" Samantha exclaimed holding up three fingers as if to show just how many goals he scored.   
"I know. I scored them for you," he told her smiling.   
"Really?" she asked.   
"Really, really," Jack said with a small laugh.   
"Cool," she said. Jack smiled and kissed her forehead.   
"You played so well, Jack. Samantha made sure we knew that," Suzanne told him with a small laugh.   
"Is that so?" Jack asked looking at Samantha. She shrugged.   
"I was cheering," she said. They stood talking for a few minutes before George came out to talk to Jack.   
"Hey, Jack, can you do press tonight?" she asked walking towards him. Jack took a deep breath. He had gotten used to having to do press but he still preferred not to.  
"Yeah, I can do it," he told her.   
"Oh, and who is this?" George said upon noticing Samantha.   
"This is Samantha. Samantha this Georgia," Jack introduced.   
"Why hello there," Georgia said smiling.   
"Hi," Samantha said with a small wave.   
"Aren't you just the cutest," Georgia said. Samantha smiled and hid her face in Jack's chest muttering a small thank you. Jack laughed.   
"All of a sudden you're shy?" he teased. Samantha tried to make a face at Jack but she couldn't stop smiling so it didn't work out too well.   
"Hey, Jack, why don't you take her with you to press," Georgia suggested.   
"Really?" Jack asked.   
"You seem less nervous with her. Maybe she'll ground you. Plus, she's adorable, the press will probably get a kick out of it. It could be good PR," Georgia said.   
"Do you want to come with me?" Jack asked Samantha.   
"Will I get in trouble?" she asked. Jack laughed.   
"Baby if I offer to take you somewhere you won't get in trouble I promise," Jack told her.   
"Ok I'll go," she said.   
"Whenever you're ready," Georgia told them.   
"Do you think you could take Samantha home and I'll head over with our parents right now?" Bitty asked.   
"Yeah, I'll see you at home. I love you," Jack told Bitty with a quick kiss.   
“Love you, too,” Bitty said smiling before walking away.  
"Are you ready Miss Samantha," Jack asked. Samantha shrugged.   
"Sure," she said. Jack kissed her forehead as he began to walk to the press room.   
"I've got you, don't worry," he told her. Georgia escorted them in and Jack sat down with Samantha on his lap as the press began to ask questions. While Jack was answering questions, Samantha began to play with his hands. It was only after most of the questions about the season ahead were asked that one of the reporters finally brought up Samantha.   
"So, I see you've got a little one now," one of them said. Jack smiled.  
"Yeah, this is Samantha. Everything was finalized a few days ago on her birthday actually which was nice. We've got the cutest little girl in the world now and we're very lucky that everything went through," Jack told the reporters shifting so Samantha was sitting up higher on his lap. Samantha scrunched her nose at him making some of the reporters laugh.   
"And how is she adjusting to everything?" one of the reporters asked.   
"She's taking everything in really well. I think she gets a little too into hockey with how much she was cheering tonight," Jack teased. Samantha gave an embarrassed smile.   
"I was cheering for you, papá," she said softly looking at Jack.   
"I know. Thank you, mon coeur, I appreciate it," Jack told her smiling. "I think she's got a little luck in her though. She noticed some stuff while I was preparing that helped for the game today. She told me to score some goals and I did so I think we're both benefiting from each other," Jack joked.   
"Any plans for hockey for her yet?" one of them asked.   
"No. If she wants to then we'll cross that bridge when we get there but for now we don't have anything planned. We don't want her to feel forced to just because we both played in college and I'm still playing. We want it to be her choice if she wants to play. She doesn't really like the ice right now though so she probably won't decide to play anytime soon. If she doesn't want anything to do with hockey then that's her choice and we'll stand by it. If she does then of course we'll be there to teach her and support her," Jack told them. The press murmured and he turned to Samantha. "Do you want to play hockey?" he asked Samantha softly but still loud enough for the mic to catch the sound. She shook her head.   
"I can't skate remember. Maybe if I get good at skating on ice I'll play hockey," she told him. "But I like roller skating. I wanna do derby," she added as an afterthought.  
"She likes roller skating better than ice skating. She keeps saying she wants to do roller derby so if she does follow through we'll have to start checking practices pretty soon to make sure she can handle them and give them right back harder. Maybe I'll ask one of our defenders to start training her," Jack said making some of the press people laugh. The press conference continued on without a hitch. People seemed to love Samantha and it became a norm to see her with Jack for press. So when Jack led the team to winning the Cup at the end of the season, it was no surprise to anyone that Samantha was there for all his appearances and everyone noticed how much brighter his smile was with her at his side on the road there.


End file.
